Online language courses for kids remain one of the best ways to get them interested in studying in general. Instead of just relying on books, they get more interactive lessons.
What Options are Available?
There are courses for just about every language. Spanish, French, and Korean are among the most popular. But there are kids’ courses if they want to learn Russian, German, Japanese, Chinese and other languages. You can do a quick search on any language and you are apt to find a course on it.
Design and Contents
These programs vary widely in format. But they share some common characteristics. They are simplified so kids will have an easy time learning. These programs also have special features to make them more enticing. A child is not just studying a language; these sites also develop their creative skills and cognitive ability as well.
A properly designed language program will teach kids how to speak, write, and read in the language. Most importantly, they will learn how to think in the language. They will no longer need to translate thoughts from their native tongue into the new language.
Features to Look for
Some websites offer only a single language, while others have several. It doesn’t matter at this point. Children (and even adults) should study only one at a time. Be certain the course is for children; some of those online programs are actually for adults repackaged for kids. You should also check what level the course is for. Most of them are suitable for grades 3 up to 12. But this is not always the case.
Other Information
Language learning programs for kids often have games to keep them engaged. The games are specially designed so kids learn new words and vocabulary while having fun. Narratives progress from basic to more challenging. Children will learn how to speak common vocabulary phrases and terms. Grammar is also taught.
One of the most important features of these sites is getting children ready to use a language naturally. More advanced lessons include reading articles in the language and doing various exercises. Among them are product reviews, reading adventure stories, learning new grammar patterns and reading activities. Most of these sites are multimedia, complete with audio and video.
Online language courses for kids are not just for children. You can study the language along with your child. More advanced courses are available for adults. But if you just want basic knowledge, these sites will be sufficient.